Mysterious Caves at Niasar are perched up quite high, at an altitude of 1,700 meters above sea level, in the mountain range east of Niasar City. These caves have left this area of Niasar shrouded in mystery… (Niasar Caves)
Come along with goingIRAN to see and discover more about this top eco-tourism destination!
Manmade Caves of Obscure Identity
The purpose of the ancient Niasar Caves still remain unknown to scholars; most of the evidence found, however, suggest it was made for religious uses, rather than residential or military.
Some of the things that lead scholars to believe that these caves, their wells and seating areas were meant for religious purposes are also aided by the fact that these caves are located just 400 meters away from one of the best remaining Sassanid fire temples in Iran, Niasar Fire Temple.
Some of the artifacts found in the caves include pottery from the Sassanid and Parthian Eras, coins from the Seljuk and Ilkhanate Era, alongside a statue of the head of a ram and some milling stones (associated with ritual sacrificing of the Mithraism religion).
Niasar’s Ancient Origins
Archeologists believe that these caves were dug out around 2,000 years ago during the Parthian Era, albeit some of the items found were dated to be from Sasanian and Seljuq Empires.
All of the Niasar Caves’ structures haves pretty much remained intact, aside from its very big entry way. Originally, there was a very big entry that was ruined by an earthquake in the 1980’s. Some reminiscence of the quake can even still be seen today.
Eye-catching Features of the Niasar Caves
The total length and depth of these mysterious caves are said to be 950 meters and 60 meters, respectively.
The Niasar Caves have been very carefully and designed and built with a high degree of engineering. Deep in the caves, passageways branch out into a complex series of tunnels that connect to one another, also leading to a number of corridors.
Adding to the intricacy of the Niasar Caves, are the angled pathways that redirect the flow of rainwater to prevent flooding. Going hand in hand with that feature are the carefully carved air channels in various places, leading outside for circulation and ventilation.
Throughout the tunnels of the caves, travelers will come across many two and three-way splitting paths; only one of which lead to end of the tunnel. The others were meant to mislead and, maybe even, trap unsuspecting intruders! (We know what you’re thinking… Rest assured, there are no hidden traps or dangers of sort today)
An interesting aspect of the architecture at the Niasar Caves is the little seating areas by each of the dug wells. Were they created for visitors? Perhaps they were built as resting areas for the construction workers while they were painstakingly digging and hollowing out the paths…
Finally, once travelers climb, crawl and inch-towards the end of the main tunnel, they will arrive at an area where the space between the floor and the ceiling increase.
Here, visitors will find a large circular milling stone with an 80cm diameter. Although the very end of the tunnel has caved-in, you are still able to see the eerie impression of the mill-stone on the wall in the shape of a sun.
Time to Go Niasar Cave Diving!
This ancient Persian destination is located just 30km west of Kashan, Iran, in Niasar City. The exact coordinates being: (N): 33˚ 58’ 18.1” and (E) 51˚ 08′ 44.5″
The hours of visitation for travelers are Monday – Sunday from 8am – 6pm.
Before You Travel to the Caves of Niasar
Not to worry you adventure seekers. Exploring these caves will not require any special climbing gear. The deepest wells of the caves are 9 meters deep and have metal ladders and handgrips leading all the way down.
It is very important to note that the cave passageways have a height of about 90cm and a width of 60cm. As lot of crouching is involved in a tight place, we do not recommend this destination to anyone who is claustrophobic or has any physical limitations.
For the travelers not afraid of tight spaces or have a bad back, but are concerned about the oxygen supply down in the caves, we are happy to inform you that there is plenty of fresh air and ventilation at Niasar Cave.
Recommended Reads | Internet Access in Iran
Recommended Reads | Kashans Top Five Destinations
Recommended Reads | Credit Card in Iran (Tourist Card)